Ali Bagheri Kani

Ali Bagheri Kani (Persian:علی باقری کنی; born 1967) is an Iranian diplomat who is currently the deputy secretary for the Supreme National Security Council. He was formerly political deputy at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Iran from September 2021 to September 2024, along with being the acting Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2024. He is considered to be close to the Iranian principlists and to be part of the inner circle of the late Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Early life and education

Bagheri Kani was born in 1967 in the village of Kan in Tehran County. His father, Mohammad-Bagher Bagheri Kani, is a Shiite cleric who served as a member of the Assembly of Experts, while his uncle, Mohammad Reza Mahdavi Kani, later led the same body. His brother, Mesbah al-Hoda Bagheri Kani, is a son-in-law of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Bagheri Kani studied economics at the Imam Sadiq University in Tehran.

Career

Bagheri Kani has been a diplomat since 1990. He was Deputy Secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council from 2007 to 2013 and currently serves as advisor at the council. He was also chairman of Saeed Jalili's presidential campaign in the 2013 election. He also briefly worked as a political analyst at IRIB.

On 14 February 2011, Bagheri Kani was arrested after being summoned by the Intelligence Ministry. He served as a political director for the Interior Ministry during the presidency of Mohammad Khatami.

Bagheri Kani was the lead negotiator in mediations between Iran and the United States in the September 2023 prisoner release deal. He had served as deputy to the foreign minister.

Bagheri Kani served as the Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs on 20 May 2024, following the death of his predecessor Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, in a helicopter crash. On 3 June 2024, he made his first overseas visit as foreign minister to Lebanon, during which he confirmed that the Iranian government was engaged in negotiations with the United States hosted by Oman. He served as minister until his replacement by Abbas Araghchi on 21 August 2024.